Legal English

• LAW LE 650: US LEGAL DISCOURSE
  This course will assist students in developing the communication skills necessary to succeed in BU Law's LLM programs and international legal practice. Students in the course will acquire effective reading strategies, enhance vocabulary skills, practice listening, write persuasively using appropriate grammar and revise work based on instructor feedback, and develop oral fluency and accuracy and hone pronunciation. Students will work on expanding general skills using course materials that cover many topics including current policy and legal issues in the U.S., the American legal system, and how history and social issues have shaped the American legal system. Students will also be challenged to think critically, a key skill for future law students and lawyers.
• LAW LE 651: ACADEMIC SKILLS FOR US LAW STUDIES
  This course will cover the study skills and strategies needed to succeed in an English-language law program in the United States. The focus will be on strengthening study skills and listening and speaking effectively. Students will work on listening strategies that will help them to handle lectures and discussions from various disciplines, including taking coherent notes and writing summaries of and responses to complex questions about the listenings. Students will also work on speaking strategies that will allow them to participate fully in academic life at law school, including interacting with classmates and professors, participating in class discussions, and giving effective oral presentations.
• LAW LE 652: INTRODUCTION TO US LEGAL CULTURE
  This course will provide a foundational understanding of general American legal concepts, history, culture, and profession, including professional responsibility. Students will engage in reading and classroom discussion of assigned materials (consisting of cases, articles, fiction, excerpts, etc) that will be supplemented by field trips to state and federal courts and other relevant venues.
• LAW LE 653: LEGAL REASONING
  This course will assist students in developing legal reasoning and analysis skills necessary to succeed in BU Law's LL.M. programs. Students will learn how language works in legal decisions; how to read and interpret those judicial decisions and apply them to complex hypotheticals using analogical and rule-based reasoning. Through this process students will develop academic and legal vocabulary, conversation and presentation skills, and strengthen reading comprehension. Students will also build skills for taking notes and writing summaries of readings and lectures, writing clearly, making arguments, and using appropriate word choice, grammar, style and format for American law school assignments.
• LAW LE 655: PERSUASIVE ADVOCACY
  Designed as a complement to the Legal Writing class, this course will develop students' persuasive advocacy skills through hands-on practice in oral and written communication, including effective presentation, listening, and writing skills. Through simulations and role plays, it will train students in the art of effective advocacy. This course will focus on three major projects: (1) a law partnership negotiation, contract and presentation; (2) client counseling and written communications; and (3) a full-scale mock trial.
• LAW LE 659: Introduction to US Legal Culture
  This course will provide a foundational understanding of general American legal concepts, history, culture, and profession, including professional responsibility. Students will engage in reading and classroom discussion of assigned materials (consisting of cases, articles, fiction, excerpts, etc) that will be supplemented by field trips to state and federal courts and other relevant venues.
• LAW LE 661: INT'L CONTRACTS & NEGOTIATIONS
  English is predominantly the language of international legal practice and its importance to lawyers cannot be over-emphasized. The way in which one uses legal English can therefore be crucial to professional success. This course provides students with the opportunity to build on language skills in the professional context through realistic legal scenarios and materials prepared by qualified lawyers. After completing this class, students will feel more confident in their ability to negotiate and draft formal international business agreements in English. They will also gain a working knowledge of 'real-life' business law and practice - all in the context of improving one's ability to use legal business English.
• LAW LE 662: International Contracts & Negotiations
  English is predominantly the language of international legal practice and its importance to lawyers cannot be over-emphasized. The way in which one uses legal English can therefore be crucial to professional success. This course provides students with the opportunity to build on language skills in the professional context through realistic legal scenarios and materials prepared by qualified lawyers. After completing this class, students will feel more confident in their ability to negotiate and draft formal international business agreements in English. They will also gain a working knowledge of 'real-life' business law and practice - all in the context of improving one's ability to use legal business English.
• LAW LE 663: Advanced Oral Advocacy Skills
  This course draws on skills acquired in Persuasive Advocacy to further develop students’ understanding of what makes an effective oral argument. Using a hypothetical based on a current U.S. Supreme Court case, students will learn how to identify and prioritize issues, use precedent effectively, and create a roadmap for an argument. The first half of the course will focus on drafting a persuasive outline, followed by training on the methods and techniques that lawyers use to convince a judge or jury through oral advocacy. Students will engage in numerous practice oral arguments that will be critiqued by the instructor and their peers. The culminating activity will be participation in the LLM Internal Moot Court Competition where students will be judged by an independent panel.
• LAW LE 664: Comparative Legal Practice for LLMs
  Students in this one credit class will be placed in a law related job to gain practical work experience. Students will supplement their employment by writing reflective memoranda throughout the term and presenting to the class. Topics for reflection and discussion will include goal setting, time management, professional development and professional ethics. Students will also reflect on the cross-cultural lawyering skills they have developed and what it means to be a successful attorney in the United States.